Prepping with Purpose

“Focus, motivation, and business!” 

“Life in the fast lane!” 🙂

“#Abiding in Kingdom work!” 

According to the LCA* students preparing for the 2026 mission trip to Limon, Costa Rica, that’s what preparation looks like.

For the last five months, ten students have been meeting weekly to prepare their hearts and minds for traveling to a different country with a different language and food and culture in order to share the Lord’s gospel in word and action.  

Weekly meetings have included Bible study, prayer times, worship, team building activities, cultural studies, and more. In the past few days, we have met two full days to work on a team music drama, VBS stories, crafts, and songs, and travel briefing. 

Preparation not only includes a lot of activity, but also a lot of self-realization and growth and relationship-building.  Here is what the students share about gearing up for this kingdom adventure:

Genesis shares that what has touched her in these months is “the Christian environment; I didn’t expect the team to be so Christ-focused, and it makes me very happy that it is.”  For her, preparing for this mission trip means preparing to glorify God in many ways!

Several of the team members mentioned new relationships formed these last few months.  Victoria shares that “what really has impacted me was how quickly we all became friends! I love that we can all talk to each other like we’ve known each other for years.”

Emily adds that what has impacted her is “how well the group has bonded with each over a short time even when we are from different grades.”  Jacob Honnold shares “I like meeting with the people and just sharing time together to learn and prepare for Costa Rica.”  Collin, too, states that “one of the biggest things that has impacted me was the growing relationships with the people on the team. It’s been very fun to experience this with these people.”

Another impactful element of our preparations is the Bible study time. Both Lena and Faith spoke about this aspect of the weekly meetings.  Faith states, “I have really enjoyed the conversations that have come from our Bible study.”

Two other thoughts:  Jacob Hollins believes that “the last two [all-day] meetings were most impactful; I found them to be very team-bonding.”  Faith (as a veteran team member) says, too, that she has enjoyed seeing new team members get excited about the trip.

So what else does it take to be ready for a mission trip?

• “Always being ready to get out of your comfort zone.” (Lucas)

• “Building healthy and fun relations with my team!” (Victoria)

• “Preparing to glorify God in many ways.” (Genesis)

• “Preparing for Kingdom work and seeing the Lord answer prayers already!” (Faith)

• “Making sure your heart and mind is ready to work hard and serve the Lord.” (Lena)

• “Preparing your heart and mind for the experience, whether that’s for going into a different culture or spiritually growing in your walk with the Lord.” (Collin)

• “Abiding and trusting in God.” (Isaac)

Emily relays the importance of one's

spiritual foundation in this preparation: Preparing for a missions trip means "readying your mind to serve the Lord and making sure your relationship with the Lord is sturdy and secure. You cannot share the gospel effectively if your foundation is shaky.”